Imaging how metastatic tumors spread inside the body
Official title: Imaging mechanisms of metastatic tumor formation in situ
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-11581927 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A comprehensive imaging project at UT Southwestern aims to understand how cancer cells spread to distant sites using advanced 3D imaging and tissue analysis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | September 24, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $510,063 |
| NIH project number | 3U54CA268072-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11581927 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancers that commonly metastasize (e.g., sarcoma, melanoma) may benefit from future translational steps stemming from this imaging work.
✕Less likely to help
This specific grant focuses on preclinical imaging and mechanisms, so direct patient benefit is indirect and in later stages.
What this research studies
This project builds and integrates high‑tech imaging methods (live zebrafish, cleared-tissue light-sheet microscopy, and 3D tissue profiling) to observe how cancer cells colonize new sites. Researchers will finish ongoing experiments, validate data workflows, and analyze datasets that connect cellular changes to metastatic behavior. The work spans multiple cancer types, focusing on processes like extracellular-vesicle uptake, lipid metabolism, ferroptosis sensitivity, and computer‑vision detection of metastasis events. The goal is to create a detailed, multi-layer view of metastasis that could inform better therapies in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from deeper insights into how metastasis occurs, potentially guiding new treatments to prevent cancer spread.
How similar studies have gone: Previous efforts using advanced 3D imaging and spatial profiling have yielded valuable clues about metastasis, supporting the promise of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fiolka, Reto Paul — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Fiolka, Reto Paul
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.